Be Your Own First Customer: The Power of Using Your Own Platform
Alberto Padilla, founder of Briq.mx, explains how he launched a regulated real estate crowdfunding platform in Mexico with a static site and a hand-updated progress bar, long before building any real infrastructure.
Topics Covered
Show Notes
Armando J. Perez-Carreno talks with Alberto Padilla, the CEO and founder of Briq.mx. Most founders think a financial product has to start with the full platform: payment rails, automation, dashboards, and compliance. Alberto started with a static website, a bank account, and a progress bar he updated by hand.
Briq.mx is a regulated real estate crowdfunding platform in Mexico, where people can invest in vetted development projects with as little as $25. Alberto explains how the team proved real demand with a manual process before building any infrastructure, and why looking trustworthy mattered more than looking automated. He also shares why Briq waited two years before spending on marketing, and why he believes the real sale in a financial product happens when the investor gets their money back. If you build products or run a business, this one shows how far you can get before you automate anything.
Topics Covered
- How Briq proved demand with a manual process before building the platform
- Why looking trustworthy mattered more than looking automated
- The growth path from friends to friends-of-friends to strangers
- Why Briq waited two years before spending on marketing
- Why the real sale happens when the investor gets their return